Just Like This
by MinnieTheMoocherDA
Summary: Tigress and Po talk whilst overlooking the Valley of Peace, which for the past twenty years had actually experienced its namesake. [Characters: Tigress, Po, Oogway, Shi-fu, Lei Lei, Crane, Viper, Monkey, Mantis, Mei Ling, Mei Mei. Pairings: Tipo] Warnings: Mentions talk of death and illness.


Tigress gazed out at the Valley of Peace, which for the past twenty years had actually experienced its namesake. From the steps of the Jade Palace, she could see the new flourishing rice fields where the last battle had taken place. There had been other battles across the rest of China of course and even at her age she still fought in them. But here, they had finally achieved what Master Oogway had always hoped for. She only wished that those who had passed had been here long enough to see what they'd spent their lives fighting for, come to fruition.

"Sorry... I ... huh! I'm late!" Po gasped as he sat on the mismatched stone next to her, where nearly forty years prior he and Ty Lung had crashed into it. She smiled. Even after all these years stairs was a skill that the dragon warrior had never managed to perfect. Although now she guessed that it was caused more by his frailing bones than excess mass.

His arm fell into place around her shoulders and she rested her head against his in return. This had always been their spot, even before they became couple. If after a long week of gruelling training sessions or a particularly difficult battle, they would come here, and remind themselves of what they had to protect.

They stayed in that position for a long moment, taking the time to savour each other's presence and the break of peace before everything had to come crashing down again.

"What did the doctor say? Is it terminal?" Po asked eventually, his tone serious. Unlike everyone else who either saw the Dragon Warrior as a goofball or a stern leader, she was privileged to understand both sides of him.

"_Yes_." In her voice were emotions that only Po had ever heard. And this time there was no miracle flower that he could search half of China for to save her. Although she knew that wouldn't stop him from doing everything in his power to find a cure. Even if it only prolonged her life by another couple of years.

She never thought it would end this way. She always assumed that she would go out in one last glorious battle. There was still time for that she supposed.

She felt his paw take hers, his thumb stroking her pads as though they weren't harder than the ironwood trees that still grew strong outside the palace walls.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She heard Po breathe near her ear.

"Not now." But they would talk later. Po had always been able to make her face the questions she'd shut out about herself, where the Furious Five had been too scared and Shi-Fu hadn't cared enough about her to ask.

The thought of the Furious Five made her heart lurch. She wished she hadn't been so cold towards them. They were the only ones who she could relate too. And she'd pushed them away for so long. If it wasn't for Po crashing into their world with his once annoyingly caring attitude, she worried she never would have opened up to them. They hadn't seen each other for a while now. Crane taught students with Mei Ling in the academy where he used to work as a janitor. Tournaments were often arranged between both of their schools. Viper was the head of the Emperor's war council, although she still found time to perform her ribbon dances in the Royal Theatre. And would teach sessions on how to dance and fight with ribbons at Mei Mei's studio. Monkey had spent the past few years travelling across China in his own search for inner peace. Unfortunately, Mantis never got to do any of those things, having sacrificed himself when thirty years ago he snuck behind enemy lines to ignite their entire stock of gunpowder, neutralising the entire enemy army. She gazed up at where his statue now towered beside Oogway and Shi-Fu's.

"Oh yeah I almost forgot!" Po cried interrupting her thoughts before they could go to darker places. "Lei's coming over at the end of the week to pick Yan up."

For the first time that day, good news graced Tigress' ears. Her and Po had never had children of their own. Po had always been keen, but Tigress never trusted herself not to treat them like how Shi-Fu had raised her. Besides, they didn't need their own children when they had the largest orphanage in China and the next generation of Kung Fu masters to nourish and look after.

But Lei Lei would always have a special place in Tigress' heart. She'd trained the panda since she had been a young cub until she was accepted as a member of the Emperor's personal war council. Tigress hadn't known it was possible to feel that proud. She wondered if Shi-Fu had ever felt that way about her. Although by then, she had missed any chance to ask him. And now she trained Lei's daughter Yan, who was just as talented as her mother.

"Hey! Do you want to see a new trick Yan taught me today?" Po asked, his face appearing every bit as joyful as it had when they'd first met, despite his growing wrinkles and greying fur.

"Of course."

With a playful smile and more energy than someone his age should have, he dashed over to one of the nearby blossoming peach trees. When he came back, he opened his palm to show her a flower, the same colour as it's fruit would be.

"Ok so you see the flower, right?" He then put his hands together, encasing the flower. "But now…boom!"

With a flourish of jazz hands, he opened his palms to reveal that it had disappeared. "But wait, what's this?"

He gently swept his hand behind her ear, the fuzz of his fur brushing against hers.

"By the power vested in me as the dragon warrior, I return this beautiful flower to the plain of existence!" He shouted, opening his paw to display the flower, it's petals still perfectly intact. "For you my love."

He placed the flower into place behind her ear. Tigress purred a chuckle. She had stopped trying to hide her amusement at his antic's years ago. Yet her heart still warmed at the smile of achievement on Po's face as though he had accomplished a great feat by making her laugh.

"I love you." The words slipped out of her mouth before she could catch them. Just like they had the first time. Po's eyes still widened, not believing for a second that someone like her could love a fat, stupid panda like him. Like how she had confessed that a monster like her didn't deserve someone as kind and as wonderful as him. Before he smiled softly and pressed his forehead against hers.

"I love you too."

And as they watched the sun go down together, for the first time in her life Tigress hoped that when those last moments came, they would be just like this.


End file.
